The Supreme State Security Court will deliver its verdict on 16 January in the Naga Hammadi case which involved the killing of six Christians and one Muslim security guard, judicial sources said.
Three Muslims are accused in the 6 January, 2010 slaughter that took place after a Christmas mass at a local church.
Prosecutor-general Abdel Meguid Mahmoud ordered Mohamed al-Kammouni, Qurashy Abul Haggag, and Hidnawi Hassan, to the state security court following the charges brought against them.
The prosecutor urged the execution of the defendants. Defense lawyers, however, challenged the court’s jurisdiction, requesting the Ministry of Interior to conduct further investigations around the incident. The lawyers also asked for the release of their clients.
The decision to give the state security court jurisdiction in the case has sparked controversy throughout legal circles. It marks the first time in decades the court will consider a crime related to sectarian violence. Only Egypt's president can appeal state security court verdicts.
The court is known for its stringent procedures.
Among other charges, the defendants have been accused of premeditated murder, the possession of firearms, and destabilizing public order.
Egyptian authorities deny the incident had sectarian motivations, arguing that it came as criminal retaliation for the raping and killing of a Muslim girl by a Christian man at Farshout, another village close to Naga Hammadi.
